Friday, May 27, 2011

'I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'"

This week marked the end of an era of "The Oprah Show". I am not like many who watched every day , hanging on her every word. Yet the times I did tune in I enjoyed the show. I found most of her shows heartwarming and meaningful. She has a way of making you feel like you are part of a conversation, not watching a show. So I decided to tune in for her last two shows and I am very glad I did, again I felt like I was part of a conversation but what she said was very powerful. I only wish people would really take to heart some of her words from that show......


"I've talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: 'Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?'

"Understanding that one principle, that everybody wants to be heard, has allowed me to hold the microphone for you all these years with the least amount of judgment. Now I can't say I wasn't judging some days. Some days, I had to judge just a little bit. But it's helped me to stand and to try to do that with an open mind and to do it with an open heart. It has worked for this platform, and I guarantee you it will work for yours. Try it with your children, your husband, your wife, your boss, your friends. Validate them. 'I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'"

As I sat and listen to her speak these words really hit me and brought me to tears. This is the way we all feel. We want to know we matter, that our words are not falling on deaf ears. That we have some type of worth to ourselves and to others, that we are loved. And that we are loved unconditionally.






This seems so simple, so why is it so hard? A question that haunts the very soul of those who desire to know this feeling of validation. Just to let them know... 'I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'"